Blog.

The television series may have come to an end but the War on Waste is continuing to inspire people across the nation to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The series which aired on the ABC during May has begun to find the truth behind the way our nation manages waste, and what we can do about. It asked big questions such as how much food does the average household throw out each year? Do plastic bags really get recycled? And how much food is being wasted before it gets to the supermarket shelves? If you missed the series you can watch it here on ABC iView.

For those of you who couldn't get enough of the series, you can now tune into Craig Reucassel and Wendy Harner as they continue on to bring to explore the big issues waste management in Australia on the War on Waste Podcast.

Community Recycling Network Australia has been in touch with the War on Waste team, so listen in and you may even get to hear from some of our members around Australia!

As it's end of financial year, it is time to join or renew your membership with CRN Australia. There are many benefits to being a member:

Access to policies and procedures to help grow your own enterprise.

Promotion via our website, bulletin and social media.

One-to-one mentoring

CRN Australia annual forum

Member only discounts to selected conferences

Eligible to vote at the annual general meeting

Networking opportunities

Advocacy on issues relevant to your enterprise

Existing members will recieve an invoice to renew your membership from our secretary shortly. New members are encouraged to join, simply click the button below to fill in a membership form via the CRN Australia website.

We look forward to working with you over the coming year to help grow your enterprises and raise the profile of community recycling in Australia. There could be a community recycling enterprise for every town in Australia!

The Bendigo Sustainability Group has awarded the Eaglehawk Recycle Shop its top honour at this year’s Bendigo Sustainability Awards held this month at Bendigo's Capital Theatre.

This is the 5th year of these awards and Eaglehawk Recycle Shop was selected from 6 individual awards categories as the Overall Winner. It also received the top award for the Business and Innovation >10 FTE category, which demonstrated Eaglehawk Recycle Shop’s place in the new sustainability led economy. Eaglehawk Recycle Shop reduces the environmental impact in diverting waste from landfill at its facility in Eaglehawk. It demonstrates sustainability enhancements to products/services, business and Innovation.

Eaglehawk Recycle Shop is a not for profit organisation that has been operating for 23 years. Its mission is to employ unemployed people and divert valuable material from landfill. Eaglehawk Recycle Shop diverts over 9,000 tonnes of recyclable and reusable product annually from landfill, saving scarce landfill space. It provides an opportunity for people to choose between landfill or reuse/recycling by allowing those who are prepared to sort their materials to reduce landfill and save on fees.

Eaglehawk Recycle Shop is also a collection point for the Detox Your Home Program where paint, car and household batteries, fluorescent tubes can be left free of charge. E-waste, televisions, mattresses and white goods are collected for recycling. The only fees charged are for mattresses and refrigeration units. Other products such as furniture, household goods, building items, etc are also collected for resale.

Eaglehawk Recycle Shop supports employment and is sustainable environmentally - in the reduction of waste to landfill, and economically - as it raises all its operating funds from sales of reusable and recyclable product, not from Government funding.

The Board of Directors are all volunteers and have a variety of background and skills working in an honorary capacity, headed by Chairman Leon Scott. At the award ceremony Leon said “I am delighted to lead a strong board of gifted people prepared to work in an honorary capacity to support the unemployed and recycling of waste. Leon also thanked the City of Greater Bendigo for its continued support of the Eaglehawk Recycle Shop.”

Manager of the Eaglehawk Recycle Shop Peter Buck said, “It was an honour to receive the awards and I would like to thank the Bendigo Sustainability Group for the opportunity. It is a proud moment for the employees to be recognised for their commitment to the goals of the enterprise, through their hard work and dedication in reaching and excelling in the industry. Their experience and knowledge of recycling practices has been recognised Australia wide and beyond. It is a common occurrence that other councils and organisations looking at starting a recycling venture visit the Eaglehawk Recycle Shop for inspiration from its broad knowledge and success”.

Planning for the CRN Australia Annual Waste2Wages Forum is well under way and the date is set for the 16th and 17th of Novemember in Sydney. So if you haven't already - remember to put it in your diary.

A planning group for the forum has been established and is busy working behind the scenes to make sure it is a wonderful forum for all. We want to know what do you want to know about Community Recycling? What are the biggest questions you have about operating and growing your enterprise? What information or topics do you have questions about that would solve a problem for you or make operating your enterprise easier? We hope to make this a great value for all who are attending - so your suggestions are really important.

We are also accepting expressions of interest from those interested in giving a presentation at the forum. If you have some learnings you would like to share please let us know.

Community Reyclers are invited to come along on the and hear about our plans for a metro model of CRNA for the greater Sydney region. The day will include a presentation on the CRN Sydney model and Dorte Wray of CRN Auckland will share her insights into the CRN Auckland model. In the afternoon there will be a guided branding workshop to discuss of CRN Sydney.

Endeavour Foundation has begun delivering recycling and waste management solutions to the Gympie community, as part of its growing recycling portfolio. Already operating a large number of transfer stations and resource recovery centres, e-waste recycling sites, tip shops and recycle markets across Queensland, the move will enable further investment into providing real possibilities for people with a disability.

Robert Campbell, Manager with Endeavour Foundation Industries, said that the move was a “win-win” for the Gympie community.

“We are dedicated to helping local people with a disability live fulfilling lives, working together to make the most of individual skills and interests - whether that is developing life skills, trying a new activity, work or learning. Thanks to contracts such as this, we can look forward to continuing to support the local community into the future. For the people of Gympie that means day services, in-home support, accommodation and specialist behavior support.

“Crucially Endeavour Foundation, as a disability service provider, will now be in a position to provide five people with a disability with the opportunity to work alongside staff at these sites, gaining customer service and retail experience in a community-facing role. This provides a brand new opportunity for training and work experience for the local people with a disability who have expressed an interest in taking part.”

Endeavour Foundation believes that employment opportunities form a critical part of an inclusive and empowering community for people with a disability. To that end, supported employees are actively encouraged to achieve vocational qualifications, develop transferable skills, improve communication, foster interpersonal skills and nurture personal relationships.

Employing more than 700 people with a disability, Endeavour Foundation’s recycling operations annually process approximately 50,000 tonnes of cardboard, paper, e-waste, textiles, plastic, glass, metals, commons and general household goods. As an accredited E Waste Recycler - complying with the international benchmark for environmental management ISO 14001 – Endeavour Foundation’s three sites (Townsville, Redcliffe, and Southport) dismantle in excess of 150t of e-waste per month.

The charity also operate one of the largest document destruction services in Queensland, delivering confidential document destruction and recycling solutions tailored to specific business requirements from nine locations across the state.